10 years ago, Southeast Asia’s digital economy felt like a wave just beginning to crest: a swirl of marketplaces, wallets, and superapps chasing the promise of a connected region. Fast-forward to 2025, and that wave has matured into a tide that moves with purpose. The e-Conomy SEA 2025 report captures this turning point with a milestone: a digital economy now closer to being valued at US$300 billion, more than 1.5 times its 2016 projection. Revenues are also poised to reach US$135 billion as profitability gains momentum across the region. And as the Singapore Fintech Festival celebrates its own ten-year journey, this 10th edition arrives as both a reflection and a recalibration. What emerges from this report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company is a Southeast Asia that has evolved from hyper-growth into a more disciplined, AI-enabled, financially interconnected ecosystem. Digital finance now underpins everything from payments and credit to commerce and cross-border rails. QR interoperability spans ten nations. Across the region, stakeholders on almost every front are shifting towards sustainability and smarter value creation. Here’s 10 key insights that reveal how the Southeast Asia fintech scene has transformed and what will define its next great leap. 1. SEA Consumers Mature, Integrated Digital Finance Gains Traction Southeast Asia’s digital payments ecosystem has entered a new phase of maturity. All ASEAN markets now operate national unified QR systems, and most have expanded their participation in regional cross-border payment networks. Digital lending continues to grow steadily, with embedded loans bundled into e-commerce and e-wallet platforms helping drive monetisation and deeper user engagement. Source: e-Conomy SEA 2025 report At the same time, digital wealth and insurance services are scaling up. Several wealth platforms have crossed the $1 billion AUM mark, reflecting how underserved communities are progressing up the financial maturity curve through micro-investments by e-wallet providers. Digital insurance distribution is also evolving, shifting from agent-led sales to app-based journeys and embedded protection within e-commerce, transport, and travel. Superapps are reporting stronger opt-in rates for micro-insurance when embedded natively, outperforming standalone product conversions. 2. QR Takes Over The Payments Stage, but Cards Refuse to Fade As QR payments sweep across Southeast Asia, cash usage continues to lose relevance. With all 10 SEA markets now running national unified QR systems, digital payments have firmly entered the mainstream. Yet even as QR and wallet payments surge, credit cards remain remarkably resilient. Their persistence is fuelled by long-standing consumer habits and strong reward ecosystems. Source: e-Conomy SEA report 2025 Regional interoperability is also accelerating. Eight national QR systems are now interconnected, as the Regional Payment Connectivity (RPC) initiative grew from its original five founding central banks to nine, after adding Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, and Cambodia. Meanwhile, merchant economics are shifting. As consumers gravitate toward lower-cost payment methods like QR and ewallets, weighted average Merchant Discount Rates (MDRs) continue to fall, declining by roughly 0.05 percentage points each year. 3. Embedded Finance Is Everywhere, but Trust Is Not Embedded finance now cuts across nearly every digital touchpoint, from e-commerce and food delivery to travel.  Consumers are now seamlessly using e-wallet payments, pay-later options, instalments, co-branded credit cards, and insurance in their everyday online journey. Usage has reached critical mass across the region. Source: e-Conomy SEA 2025 report Yet with widespread adoption comes a structural challenge: trust and loyalty. Even as consumers rely on digital players, traditional banks still hold a trust advantage of up to 46%. Meanwhile, 87% of users juggle multiple e-wallets, and 61% do not consider their main e-wallet their preferred credit provider. The result is a fragmented loyalty landscape where digital finance players must compete for usage as well as long-term credibility and deeper financial relationships. 4. Private Funding Edges Up, Late-Stage Bets on Digital Finance Private funding has inched upward, rising 15% to $ 7.7 billion over the past 12 months, a cautious recovery that still sits roughly 70% below the 2021 peak. While momentum has returned, the rebound trails the global pace of PE/VC activity, which grew by 25% over the same timeframe. Source: e-Conomy SEA 2025 report Interestingly, digital financial services have now become the clear focal point for investors. They captured the lion’s share of funding, drawing 45% to 50% of total deal value in the past 12 months, a sharp incline from about 30% in the previous period. 5. SEA Leads the World in Finance App Adoption Southeast Asia is outpacing global peers in digital financial adoption, driven by a robust fintech ecosystem and rising consumer confidence in digital financial service platforms. Singapore mirrors the behaviour of other mature markets, with diverse usage and strong traction. Source: e-Conomy SEA 2025 report Across the rest of the region, where banked penetration remains lower, the landscape tends to be dominated by a small number of large players. 6. Over $2.3 billion invested in AI-related SEA startups SEA is quickly becoming a hotspot for global AI giants, with rising investments in cloud infrastructure and data centres. Yet the region still captures only around 2% of global cumulative capital flowing into AI startups, despite accounting for about 4% of global GDP. Source: e-Conomy SEA report 2025 While there are 680+ AI startups in SEA, Singapore remains the region’s AI nerve centre, home to the majority of its startups. Notably, the AI companies attracting the most VC interest are those built with a global outlook from day one. In a recent CNBC interview, Fock Wai Hoong, the Southeast Asia Head of Temasek, shared, Fock Wai Hoong “There are close to 700 AI startups across Southeast Asia, and they’ve actually garnered a very significant portion of funding capacity that has been flowing into the markets.” AI-driven startups now account for more than 30% of all funding, with many positioning AI as a core feature across their products and services. 7. Why SEA’s Unique Mix Will Shape AI Adoption SEA is home to one of the world’s most digitally engaged populations, creating a large and receptive user base primed for rapid AI adoption. Its leading superapps, built as integrated ecosystems offering a widespread range of digital services, deliver unmatched distribution channels for scaling AI-driven products. Sapna Chadha, Vice President of Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier of Google Asia Pacific, explained in her opening remarks of the report, Sapna Chadha “Now, we stand at the dawn of a new era, and that era is defined by one thing: AI.” But success in this region demands true hyper-personalisation. ASEAN’s linguistic and cultural landscape is one of the most complex globally, with more than 1200 living languages across the ten member countries and around 350 distinct ethnic minorities, triple that of the EU. Source: e-Conomy SEA Report 2025 This diversity requires AI models to account for nuance, context and cultural specificity from the outset. 8. Singapore Leads With $1.31B in AI Funding, Digital Finance Gains Momentum Singapore has strengthened its position as Southeast Asia’s AI investment hub, drawing $1.31 billion in private AI funding between H2 2024 and H1 2025, 55% of all ASEAN-10 AI investment. Revenue from apps marketing AI features almost doubled over the same period, reflecting strong commercial traction. AI adoption is now deeply embedded in everyday behaviour. 65% of users interact with AI tools daily, and 89% are willing to grant data access to AI agents. This high level of trust makes Singapore an attractive launch market for agentic AI and AI-powered financial products. Digital financial services are also progressing steadily, with clear momentum across payments, lending, wealth, and insurance. The graphic below highlights this trajectory. Source: e-Conomy SEA 2025 report Within the sector, Singapore’s digital banks are narrowing losses and carving out sustainable niches in SME banking and micro-consumer credit through ecosystem partnerships and data-driven loan underwriting. 9. Digital Wealth Platforms Gain Momentum Across SEA Users are increasingly gravitating toward digital wealth platforms for their lower fees, seamless onboarding, and clear, easy-to-understand product offerings. A common playbook has emerged: acquiring customers with high-yield cash management products, then gradually upselling them into higher-risk investment portfolios as balances grow. Source: e-Conomy SEA Report 2025 To deepen engagement and differentiate value, leading platforms are offering fractional shares, curated thematic portfolios, automatic macro-driven rebalancing, multi-market access, and other specialised features. Several players are now turning profitable, and multiple digital wealth startups have surpassed $1 billion in AUM, driven largely by effective upselling and continuous product innovation. 10. SEA Needs Its Own Path to Agentic Payments While global card networks are racing to enable agentic payments, Southeast Asia cannot simply inherit those models. The region actually runs on ewallets, interoperable QR codes, and national payment rails, each built differently across its markets. This creates a unique opening for SEA players to shape agentic payments on their own terms. Source: e-Conomy SEA 2025 report By leveraging digital ID systems and aligning regulatory frameworks, SEA nations are well-positioned to build agentic-ready infrastructure that reflects how its people pay. Instead of retrofitting card-based models, the region can design agentic layers directly on top of instant payments, real-time authorisation, and wallet ecosystems. If done right, SEA could define what agentic payments look like in an ewallet-first world. Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore based on image by 21vectors on Freepik The post Inside e-Conomy SEA 2025: What’s Powering Southeast Asia’s Digital Economy to Surpass US$300B appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

XTransfer and Kasikornbank (KBank), a regional financial institution in the AEC+3 market, have signed a MoU at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025. The partnership seeks to provide cross-border financial solutions for SMEs engaged in trade across ASEAN markets. The collaboration will focus on domestic and cross-border payment solutions, foreign exchange (FX) conversion, and operational integration to support trade efficiency. Under the MoU, the parties will assess and develop cross-border payment solutions, including domestic and international collections and payments, as well as FX conversion, tailored for SMEs in Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Using application programming interfaces (APIs) and digital platforms, XTransfer and KBank aim to enable automated, real-time FX conversion and transaction processing. The collaboration is intended to improve scalability, efficiency, and reliability for clients. The partnership also anticipates closer operational integration, including enhanced system connectivity, standardised reporting, and straight-through processing to improve risk management and service performance. In addition, XTransfer and KBank will explore lending solutions for Chinese merchants to support working capital needs. Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer, said, Bill Deng “This collaboration with KBank represents another important milestone in our mission to make cross-border trade more efficient and inclusive for SMEs across ASEAN. By combining KBank’s regional strengths, we aim to help clients reduce costs, improve cash flow, and increase transaction efficiency.” Dr Karin Boonlertvanich, Executive Vice President – Corporate Strategy and Innovation Division Head at KBank, said, Dr Karin Boonlertvanich “Cross-border trade and commerce in ASEAN has been expanding at a rate of 8%, driven by rapid advancements in digital technology and artificial intelligence. This digital transformation presents growth opportunities for SMEs, enabling them to scale efficiently while reducing transactional banking costs and mitigating associated risks.” The partnership combines KBank’s regional network, spanning Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and China, with XTransfer’s digital solutions to provide cross-border financial services. The collaboration is designed to support SMEs in expanding operations, improving efficiency, and strengthening competitiveness in international trade.     Featured image credit: XTransfer The post XTransfer and KBank Partner to Boost Cross-Border Payments for ASEAN SMEs appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has been watching closely as artificial intelligence reshapes the country’s financial sector. What began as simple automation tools has grown into generative models, multi-agent systems and increasingly autonomous decision making. That shift forced the regulator to rethink how AI should sit within the broader financial system. MAS has issued ethical frameworks before, including FEAT and Veritas, but the latest wave of AI is different. It moves faster, learns faster and embeds itself deeper into the everyday operations of banks, insurers and capital markets players. By the time the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025 arrived, MAS decided a more structured approach was needed. That is how the Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence Risk Management, AIRG, to avoid it being too mouthful, came to life. At the core of this new guideline is a clear message that MAS wants to lay out. Financial institutions should not wait for AI to become too entrenched before putting guardrails in place. MAS wants institutions to use AI with discipline, transparency and strong oversight so that innovation does not outrun governance. The AIRG lays out supervisory expectations that cover the entire life cycle of AI systems. MAS organises the guidelines around several pillars that work together as a holistic framework. This structure nudges institutions to see AI not as a single deployment but as a system that evolves over time, shaped by decisions made from development to retirement. Leadership forms the starting point. Then comes the work of identifying where AI sits across the organisation. After that, the guideline dives into life cycle controls covering data, fairness, monitoring, explainability and third-party risks. The final pillar focuses on whether firms have the right people and internal capabilities to manage AI responsibly. The Need to Have Responsible Leadership Leadership is the anchor of the entire guideline. MAS places early emphasis on boards and senior management because AI decisions now touch strategy, customer outcomes and the institution’s overall risk profile. Boards are expected to understand how AI fits into the firm’s risk appetite and to challenge major AI decisions instead of rubber-stamping them. Senior management, on the other hand, must turn these expectations into day-to-day practice. They are responsible for creating structures, designing policies and ensuring that staff overseeing AI have the right skills. Where AI plays a large role in areas such as lending, trading, compliance, advisory or fraud detection, MAS encourages the creation of dedicated cross-functional committees. It represents a shift from earlier approaches where AI was tucked under model risk or IT governance. AIRG elevates it into its own governance lane. Firms Must Identify AI Everywhere It Lives A surprising number of financial institutions do not realise how many of their internal tools qualify as AI. AIRG directs firms to create a clear definition of AI and then map out every system that falls under it across the organisation. Internal models, commercial products, embedded AI features, cloud-based tools and even small decision engines used by customer-facing teams all belong on that list. MAS wants institutions to maintain a central AI inventory that records model purpose, data sources, validation history, dependencies, risk owners and other essential details. Without this visibility, proportional controls become impossible. Institutions cannot supervise what they cannot locate. To Introduce A Structured Risk Classification Framework After identifying their AI systems, institutions must classify them using three dimensions. Impact comes first and measures how much harm could result from errors, bias or unexpected behaviour. Models that influence loan approvals or money laundering checks naturally sit at the higher end. Complexity follows. Simpler tools behave predictably, while large models capable of reasoning or generating content introduce far more uncertainty. Reliance completes the assessment. Some systems only support human decision-making, while others operate with significant autonomy. Higher reliance means stronger controls. This approach keeps the AIRG proportionate. Not every chatbot or internal knowledge tool needs the same scrutiny as a model used in trading or compliance. Going Deep Into Life Cycle Controls A significant portion of the guideline focuses on AI life cycle controls. MAS expects institutions to build robust boundaries around AI systems from the start. Data quality is the first foundation. Training and inference data must be representative, protected and governed properly. Poor data leads directly to skewed outcomes, so the AIRG encourages institutions to document how they reduce these risks. Fairness is closely linked. Institutions must define fairness for each use case and assess whether the system treats customers equitably. Underwriting, pricing, and eligibility decisions require the strictest oversight. Explainability comes next. High-impact models need human-understandable explanations for their decisions, and customer-facing use cases may require disclosures about the use of AI. Human involvement remains essential even in automated environments. Staff must be able to supervise AI, intervene when necessary and avoid automation bias. Effective oversight needs real authority and technical understanding. Third-party AI tools receive particular attention because institutions increasingly rely on external models and APIs. MAS expects firms to examine vendor practices, understand model lineage, assess security risks and consider the implications of many institutions relying on similar foundation models. Testing forms one of the most detailed sections of the AIRG. Systems should be tested across performance, stability, fairness and robustness. Subpopulation analysis matters, and high-risk AI must undergo independent validation. Documentation should allow auditors to reproduce results. Monitoring continues after deployment. Institutions need mechanisms to detect drifts, anomalies and shifts in behaviour. Early warning triggers and the ability to deactivate systems are part of the expectation. Change management rounds off the life cycle. Models evolve through fine-tuning, retraining and updates. Institutions must determine when changes count as significant and require another round of validation. Focusing On Internal Capabilities And Talent A strong framework still depends on the people running it. MAS highlights the need for adequate resources, both in terms of technical capability and domain expertise. Data scientists, model validators, risk specialists and IT professionals all need to play a part. Institutions should not assume vendors will fill every gap. MAS has opened consultation until January 2026 and plans a twelve-month transition period once the guideline is finalised. Institutions still have time to adapt, but the direction is clear as AI is moving into critical roles, and supervision needs to keep pace. Singapore aims to position itself as a global benchmark for AI governance in finance, and the AIRG will likely influence how other markets approach the same challenges. Firms that adjust early will unlock the benefits of AI with far greater confidence, while those that delay may struggle to retrofit sound governance onto systems that are already deeply embedded. Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore based on an image by mohammadhridoy_11 via Freepik. The post Proposed Rules Show MAS Is Ready To End Unchecked AI Growth Among Financial Institutions appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

If you snooze, you lose. It’s a cliché for a reason. The unspoken rule that applies everywhere, especially in the financial world, where falling behind even for a moment can mean being left out of the next big wave of innovation. Like every other technology-driven sector, finance is evolving at breakneck speed. Every day brings new advances. Just take a look at how artificial intelligence took off. Not just that, things like cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and data analytics are all aimed at making financial services faster, safer, and more accessible. In this race to innovate, one thing has become clear. No single player can move the industry forward alone. Collaboration between innovators, educators, and policymakers is what keeps progress sustainable. A Place Where Fintech Ideas Begin As digital finance becomes more complex and interconnected, Singapore’s fintech sector needs not only technical expertise. The country also needs some sort of leadership that understands the balance between innovation and regulation. Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU) has steadily built its reputation as one of the country’s leading academic centres for fintech thought leadership. Through its research, partnerships, and postgraduate education programmes, NTU’s very own School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS) contributes to the national effort to maintain Singapore’s competitive edge in the financial technology arena. The school plays an active role in connecting technologists, regulators, and financial institutions. It drives discussions on using technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and digital assets in a responsible and sustainable way. Associate Professor Patrick Pun Chi Seng, Assistant Chair (MSc Programmes) at NTU SPMS, believes that universities have a critical role to play in translating research and education into real-world value. Associate Professor Patrick Pun Chi Seng “Our MSc in Financial Technology graduates are equipped to excel in the fast-evolving digital finance sector, combining strong analytical foundations with hands-on industry experience,” he said. For SPMS, thought leadership is not limited to academic research. It is about bringing people together to explore practical questions. Questions like how regulation can support innovation, how technology can expand financial inclusion, and how education can prepare talent for an industry that is constantly being redefined. NTU FinTech Industry Day 2025, A Day That Brings Fintech Ideas to Life Taking place on 21 November 2025 at NTU’s School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, the NTU FinTech Industry Day 2025 will bring together academics, industry leaders, and regulators to meet on equal footing. Supported by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Singapore Fintech Association (SFA), the event reflects Singapore’s broader approach to innovation. One that is often rooted in dialogue, experimentation, and shared goals. The day will open with an address by Associate Professor Patrick Pun Chi Seng. It is then followed by a keynote speech from Mr Kenneth Gay, Chief Fintech Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Both of these discussions will set the tone for a day focused on collaboration, sustainability, and the continued evolution of digital finance. Professor Boh Wai Fong, NTU’s Vice President (Lifelong Learning and Alumni Engagement), will deliver the University Spotlight Talk. He will offer insights into how lifelong learning and upskilling are becoming central to the fintech profession. At the heart of the event, Associate Professor Patrick Pun will moderate a panel featuring influential speakers from across the industry. Joining him on stage will be Mr Alvinder Singh, Head of the Innovation Acceleration Office at MAS, Professor Boh Wai Fong, Ms Holly Fang, President of the Singapore Fintech Association, and Mr Lim Keng Swee, Head of Product Management and Country Head for Singapore at Fiuu. Together, they will explore how innovation, education, and policy can move in step to support Singapore’s fintech growth. Beyond the panel, the Industry Spotlight sessions will feature insights from companies such as AXS, Fintech News Network, Marex Group, and UOB Kay Hian. These sessions will explore real-world innovation trends, including new digital payment models. They will also look at how consumer and regulatory expectations are evolving. Not only that, more than twenty companies will take part in the networking and showcase sessions. The list includes EY, Huawei, Citadel, GfK, Global Fintech Institute, Murex, Prime Asia Asset Management, QuantEdge, and Monee. Below is the full lineup of speakers and sessions: Developing Future-Ready Fintech Talent While events like NTU FinTech Industry Day showcase collaboration in action, SPMS’s long-term impact lies in the graduates it produces. Its Master of Science in Financial Technology (MSFT) programme is central to that mission. NTU designed the MSFT curriculum around data science, artificial intelligence, and information technology. It is a programme that helps students build the knowledge and confidence to thrive in a rapidly evolving finance landscape. Students taking part in the programme will learn the technologies that are rewriting the rules of finance, including robo-advisors, automation, blockchain, and digital platforms. The programme blends rigorous theory with hands-on learning. Through this mix, students will develop the skills and confidence to succeed in the industry. The school works closely with banks, tech companies, and regulators to bridge theory and practice. Through these partnerships, NTU SPMS hopes that its students gain hands-on exposure to real industry challenges. Enrolling students will also be working on applied research projects, internships, and case studies that address current industry challenges. For Associate Professor Pun, this combination of skills and exposure is what sets NTU SPMS graduates apart. They leave not just with an understanding of financial theory or coding techniques but with the ability to bridge both worlds. The approach reflects NTU’s broader goal of nurturing future-ready talent. One who can lead digital transformation across banks, startups, and regulatory bodies. Keeping Singapore Ahead in the Global Fintech Race Singapore has long been recognised as one of the world’s most advanced fintech hubs. Its success stems from a deliberate blend of innovation, regulatory foresight, and investment in talent. As the digital finance ecosystem continues to grow, the collaboration between academia, industry, and regulators will become even more essential. NTU SPMS’s efforts in this space highlight how universities can play a catalytic role. The university encourages open discussion, applies research to real-world problems, and develops graduates with the skills industry needs. Together, these actions strengthen Singapore’s position as a leader in fintech. NTU FinTech Industry Day 2025 is more than a networking event. It is a reflection of an ecosystem working together to chart the next chapter of financial innovation. Efforts like these show how NTU SPMS is turning collaboration and innovation into action. The school is helping Singapore shape the future of finance through the partnerships it forges. Interested? Register for the NTU FinTech Industry Day 2025 here: Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore based on an image by thanyakij-12 via Freepik and Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU). The post What to Expect When Singapore’s Fintech Leaders Gather at NTU This November appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

The winning artwork from five young artists will appear on the Trust Bank’s login screen, giving their work national visibility across a platform used by more than one million people in Singapore. The display will also include short personal stories from each artist. The “One Million Dreams” contest was held in partnership with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), the Social Service Offices (SSOs) in Ang Mo Kio and Yishun, and the Discover ME! art programme. Children from MSF’s network were invited to create artwork that expressed what “One Million Dreams” means to them, marking Trust’s one million customer milestone. Example of artwork featured on the Trust App’s opening screen Participants also attended art classes in the lead up to the event, offering many of them a rare chance to explore creative expression and share their work publicly. The five winners were announced in August during the launch of Trust’s community give back initiative. Dr Syed Harun, Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and National Development, presented the awards alongside Trust CEO Dwaipayan Sadhu. Trust said the initiative aims to offer young artists a meaningful platform at a national level and to encourage children who may have limited access to creative outlets or public recognition. The bank added that showcasing the artwork on its app is intended to help build confidence and show the children how far their creativity can reach. Nick Woodruff Nick Woodruff, Chief Strategy Officer at Trust Bank, said, “This initiative gave talented young artists a platform to showcase their creativity to the nation. It’s a huge delight for us to use our app as a canvas for their work, and we hope this experience becomes a springboard for them to them to keep dreaming big and pursuing their passions.” The winning pieces will be available on the Trust App’s pre-login screen from 15 November.     Featured image: Dr Syed Harun, Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC, and VIPs take a group photo with the “One Million Dreams” art contest winners and their families.   The post Trust Bank to Feature Young Artists’ Winning Artwork on Login Screen appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) has deployed an AI-powered enterprise fraud and risk management (EFRM) solution from Clari5. The bank announced the new system at the Singapore FinTech Festival after implementing it in just 45 days. The platform is part of PVB’s ongoing digital transformation and provides a “GenAI-ready” infrastructure for fraud prevention. It detects and monitors financial crime in real-time across the bank’s internet and mobile banking channels. PVB stated the system supports its compliance with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) regulations. Peter Paul V. Laud, Senior Vice President at PVB, said the bank is “committed to building a secure, compliant, and future-ready digital banking ecosystem”. He noted that the Clari5 platform “delivers immediate value by further strengthening our fraud prevention and BSP compliance capabilities while providing a GenAI-ready infrastructure for what’s ahead”. According to Clari5, its system uses a modular architecture, allowing banks to update fraud prevention capabilities without replacing the entire system. Rivi Varghese, CEO of Clari5, commented on the bank’s choice of system. Rivi Varghese “Philippine Veterans Bank chose a unified, resilience-based platform over fragmented point solutions,” Varghese said. “This architecture breaks silos across fraud, AML, and compliance, enabling them to address current and future regulatory requirements… without hunting for the next tactical fix”. PVB is a commercial bank whose shareholders include Filipino World War II veterans, their heirs, and post-WWII veterans. Clari5, part of the Perfios group, provides financial crime management solutions. Featured image by Freepik. The post Philippine Veterans Bank Taps Clari5 for AI Fraud Solution appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Syfe, Universal Pensions and Quipu have been named winners of the 2025 Global Impact Champions Awards for Financial Health at the Singapore Fintech Festival. The Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), together with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, selected the three startups from a pool of 130 applicants across 39 countries. About half of the applicants were venture-backed fintech firms. Fifteen finalists competed for an investment pool of US$1 million, backed by ThinKuvate and Tenity. The awards were created to highlight solutions that help people manage money more effectively, build resilience during financial shocks and plan for long-term stability. GFTN developed the initiative to encourage founders working on financial health challenges and to connect them with investors, policymakers and financial institutions. Photo Credit: Singapore Fintech Festival Syfe, based in Singapore, offers savings and investment tools aimed at helping individuals manage and grow their finances. Its platform includes cash management and brokerage services, alongside advisory features and financial literacy support designed for first-time and retail investors. Syfe recently extended its Series C round with an additional US$80 million, bringing its total funding to US$132 million and signalling a higher valuation and regional expansion. According to the latest Fintech in ASEAN 2025 report, Syfe’s raise was also among the top five fintech funding rounds in ASEAN-6 this year. The company also recently acquired Selfwealth, an online investment platform in Australia, in a A$65 million (S$54.5 million) all-cash deal to increase its user base in that country. Photo Credit: Singapore Fintech Festival Universal Pensions, operating in Singapore and India and formerly known as pinBox Solutions, builds digital pension systems for informal and low-income workers in emerging markets. Its model includes a gift-a-pension feature that allows families or community members to help workers begin saving, supported by government partnerships that expand access to portable retirement accounts. Photo Credit: Singapore Fintech Festival Colombia’s Quipu uses AI and alternative data to help micro and small entrepreneurs in the informal economy access credit. The company analyses transaction patterns and social interactions to generate financial insights that improve cash-flow stability and resilience during business disruptions, helping business owners build credit histories and participate in formal financial systems. Queen Máxima Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health and Chair of the GFTN International Advisory Board, said, “The Global Impact Champions Awards for Financial Health highlight the fintech solutions that truly make a difference — those that help people manage their money, build resilience, and plan for the future. I commend the Global Finance & Technology Network and its partners for this initiative in advancing a vision of innovation that serves financial health worldwide.” Neil Parekh Neil Parekh, Deputy Chairman of the GFTN Board, added, “Today, 1.4 billion adults around the world remain unbanked, and half of adults in low- and middle-income economies cannot meet unexpected financial needs from their own resources. These are the gaps traditional financial systems have yet to bridge. But startups are showing us what’s possible. They are the building blocks of a financially healthy world, using technology with agility, empathy, and purpose.” The three winners will take part in GFTN’s international events and gain access to investment opportunities. The initiative aims to support scalable models that advance financial health and inclusion worldwide.   The post Syfe, Universal Pensions and Quipu Win GFTN’s Global Impact Champions Awards appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

TNG eWallet in Malaysia and Pakistan’s digital bank easypaisa are early adopters of Ant International’s generative AI platform to automate responses and reduce friction in customer service. Both organisations are using the Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit, which Ant International describes as an AI innovation platform for building agentic applications that can handle common queries and perform routine rectification tasks. The system is designed to strengthen customer support and streamline user journeys. The platform draws on Ant International’s experience across Alipay+, Antom, WorldFirst and its inclusive finance services in treasury management, digital lending and credit technology. It was launched in June 2025 as an AI-as-a-Service offering for fintechs and superapps. Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit integrates more than 20 large language models, including Ant International’s Falcon TST time-series transformer, and incorporates fintech knowledge bases such as bank transfer rules and dispute resolution policies. Antom Copilot, built on the platform, is described as the world’s first AI agent of its type, designed to boost merchant conversion by simplifying payment method integration. Security is supported by AI SHIELD and an AI Security Docker that Ant International says can reduce AI service risks by 90 percent through evaluation, real-time monitoring and adversarial testing. Jiang-Ming Yang “We’re excited to welcome our first customers to Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit. This platform opens the door for fintechs to agentic AI — empowering them to automate decisions, accelerate innovation, and deliver smarter financial solutions to their partners, all with financial-grade compliance, reliability and security. We look forward to supporting our customers as they expand the use of the Cockpit platform in their operations,” said Jiang-Ming Yang, Chief Innovation Officer at Ant International. Farhan Hassan “The launch of our generative AI-powered customer service agent is a key step that enables easypaisa customers to enjoy truly hyper-personalised financial experiences, from tailored product recommendations and actionable insights, to timely reminders that help them manage their finances more efficiently. Beyond personalisation, the AI assistant enhances security through advanced fraud detection and improves risk management, making every in-app financial interaction safer, faster, and more intuitive,” said Farhan Hassan, Chief Digital Officer, easypaisa Digital Bank.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by satapornc via Freepik   The post TNG eWallet and easypaisa Adopt Ant’s GenAI Cockpit to Improve Customer Support appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

TenPay Global and the National Bank of Cambodia have agreed to work on linking KHQR with Weixin Pay to streamline digital payments across the two countries. The partnership sets out a framework to connect Cambodia’s Bakong system with China’s Weixin Pay network. Both institutions aim to make transactions between the two markets faster and easier, including support for outbound and inbound remittances. TenPay Global is the cross-border payments arm of Tencent’s fintech division and provides business and consumer payment solutions across multiple markets. Dr. Chea Serey Dr. Chea Serey, Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia, said, “The collaboration between the NBC and TenPay Global represents a major step forward in strengthening cross-border payment connectivity and driving financial innovation. It contributes to greater financial inclusion, improves payment efficiency, promotes the use of local currencies, and supports ongoing digital transformation while fostering economic exchange between Cambodia and China.” Daniel Hong Daniel Hong, Vice President of Tencent Financial Technology, said, “By working together with global partners, we are enabling users to use their home wallets anywhere in the world conveniently, securely, and with the same confidence they have at home. In doing so, we are shaping a trusted and connected payment ecosystem that delivers real value to consumers and unlocks new opportunities for global commerce.” The agreement was signed during the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025. The post Cambodia, China’s TenPay Global to Explore Bakong and Weixin Pay Connectivity appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

MYbank, a digital bank in China affiliated with Ant Group, presented its AI-driven banking solutions at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025. As AI adoption in banking rises, McKinsey’s Global Banking Annual Review 2025 estimates that banks’ overall cost base could fall by 15–20%. In response, major banks are integrating AI to improve efficiency and reduce costs. For example, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) is working with Microsoft to help staff draft and review loan documents, while Singapore’s UOB is using AI for anti-money-laundering, cutting the time needed to detect suspicious transactions by 60%. MYbank has focused on embedding AI directly into core operations. Zheng Bo “Our experience shows that AI can extend high-quality and diverse financial services, previously hard to access, to everyday small and micro businesses, helping make finance more inclusive and fair,” said Zheng Bo, General Manager of MYbank’s AI Department. The bank has integrated AI in areas such as credit risk management and cash-flow forecasting, with systems improving through practical use. Over the past decade, digital credit services have expanded financing access for small businesses: China’s SME loan balance grew from RMB 8.8 trillion (US$1.2 trillion) in 2017 to RMB 32.3 trillion (US$4.6 trillion) in 2024, a compound annual growth rate of 20.74%. However, mid- to large-sized loans in China (RMB 500,000–2 million) still depend on labour-intensive offline due diligence, which is difficult to scale. MYbank’s AI credit assistant aims to streamline credit evaluation. The system can analyse research reports, assess industry value chains, and evaluate company operations using multimodal inputs, including phone calls and video. For example, it accurately assessed a Zhejiang electronics company with annual revenue of RMB 35 million (US$5 million) and limited public information. The AI confirmed the company held 27 patents, mapped its role in the communications electronics supply chain, and verified production facilities and contracts via video, recommending a credit line of RMB 1.5 million (US$211,392). After five months of deployment, alignment between the AI assistant’s recommendations and human credit officers’ decisions has increased from 39% to 90%, suggesting growing reliability in credit assessment. MYbank is also using AI to support SMEs’ cash management and investment planning. Its system forecasts cash flow across industries, assisting bank-affiliated investment managers in anticipating subscription and redemption timing and helping SMEs optimise returns on idle funds. The solution, now used by 14 institutions, reports product return volatility 5 basis points lower than the market average.     Featured image credit: Ant Group The post MYbank Showcases AI-Driven Solutions for SME Banking at SFF 2025 appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

xpate, an all-in-one payments and banking platform, has partnered with SEON to strengthen real-time fraud prevention and AML compliance for merchants. The integration brings SEON’s fraud detection and data enrichment tools directly into xpate’s transaction monitoring systems. Online fraud continues to escalate. In 2024, consumer fraud losses rose 25% year-on-year to more than S$12.5 billion. Account takeover attacks increased 250%, and almost half of businesses faced synthetic identity fraud. With merchants operating in over 100 countries, xpate determined that traditional, reactive fraud controls were no longer sufficient against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, deepfake-enabled schemes, and AI-driven threats. “Fraud prevention shouldn’t slow you down, it should move with you,” said Katia Puchkova, COO at xpate. “Our collaboration with SEON turns risk management into revenue protection, keeping every genuine transaction seamless, secure, and profitable.” The partnership gives merchants access to SEON’s tools without additional setup or integration work. Matt DeLauro “Businesses today need fraud prevention that anticipates risk, not just reacts to it,” said Matt DeLauro, President, GTM, SEON. “Our partnership with xpate shows how real-time data intelligence and machine learning can be built directly into payment infrastructure.” SEON’s device fingerprinting, behavioural analysis, and flexible rule engine help identify patterns linked to multi-accounting, account takeovers, and other fraud scenarios. Data enrichment adds context to transactions, supporting more accurate decision-making. By embedding SEON’s real-time signals and machine learning models directly into its platform, xpate aims to deliver faster assessments, improved accuracy, and more efficient risk monitoring at scale.   Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by rawpixel.com via Freepik The post xpate Integrates SEON Tools to Strengthen Real-Time Fraud Prevention appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Trulioo has launched Trulioo Credit Decisioning, a capability that provides financial, credit, and risk insights through its existing identity platform. The launch comes amid a 102% year-on-year increase in US Know Your Business (KYB) transaction growth, reflecting the company’s focus on business onboarding. As regulatory requirements increase and fraud becomes more sophisticated, understanding financial signals and creditworthiness is becoming essential for risk assessment. Trulioo Credit Decisioning combines identity verification, fraud detection, risk management, and credit intelligence into a single workflow. Real-time credit insights feed AI-driven models, helping to accelerate onboarding and improve decision accuracy. The capability allows organisations to access business credit and risk data in real time, enabling earlier identification of potential exposures and supporting fraud prevention and risk management. It also provides faster, data-driven insights that help streamline onboarding and reduce time to revenue. Decision-making can be standardised and automated through predefined credit rules, allowing fast approval determinations during onboarding. Additionally, Trulioo offers predictive risk segmentation, including insolvency probability and cash-flow stability, to support more accurate assessments. Embedded scoring features help enterprises assess creditworthiness in real time, improving risk profiling and reducing the likelihood of fraud. The solution also supports compliance with global regulations, including the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, by offering transparent, data-driven assessments. Zac Cohen “Trulioo is the only solution global enterprises need for KYB,” said Zac Cohen, Trulioo Chief Product Officer. “We continue to push the boundaries of innovation, building the most sophisticated engine for onboarding businesses, understanding their risk profiles and driving faster, more confident growth. With credit decisioning, we’re uniting identity, fraud and credit intelligence to redefine what streamlined, trusted onboarding looks like on a global scale.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by tsyhun via Freepik The post Trulioo Launches Global Credit Decisioning for Businesses appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

For years, funding rounds have been the currency of success in ASEAN’s fintech ecosystem. Pitch decks, valuations, and investor insights often shaped a startup’s momentum more than its underlying fundamentals. But that story is changing. As the ecosystem matures and capital becomes more selective, the Fintech in ASEAN 2025 report by the Singapore Fintech Association, UOB, and PwC Singapore examined a decade of ASEAN fintech exits to reveal what truly drives long-term outcomes. Now, what does the data tell us? A Ten-Year View of ASEAN’s Fintech Exit Trajectory According to the report, 195 ASEAN fintech startups have been acquired since 2016, with most exits occurring through trade sales. Acquisition activity has generally trended upward over the past decade, culminating in 37 deals in 2022, the same year ASEAN reopened its borders and fintech fundraising hit record highs. However, momentum has slowed sharply. In the first nine months of 2025, acquisitions fell significantly, with only 13 deals recorded. Source: Fintech in ASEAN 2025 report While Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) are the most recognised exit route publicly, they represent only a small fraction of actual outcomes here. Over the past decade, just 12 ASEAN fintechs have gone public, accounting for around 6% of all exit types. Notably, nine of these IPOs took place within the last five years, reflecting a recent but narrow window of public listing activity. A striking trend highlighted in the report is the preference among Singapore-based fintechs for overseas listings. All Singapore companies that pursued an IPO opted for US exchanges (NASDAQ or NYSE), underscoring their global investor orientation. Source: Fintech in ASEAN 2025 report For Singapore, the numbers align with its role as the region’s most active fintech hub. The country accounts for almost half of all ASEAN fintech exits at 49%, with Indonesia coming in second. The ten-year dataset also reveals a clear rhythm to liquidity events: on average, ASEAN fintechs take about eight years to be acquired, while those heading for the public markets typically reach an IPO in around ten years. Resilient Fintechs Are the Ones That Ultimately Achieve Quality Exits An important takeaway from this data is that while not every founder is racing toward an exit, every fintech should be building toward exit readiness. That requires getting the fundamentals right: achieving profitability, deploying capital with discipline, and securing the licences needed to operate and scale across multiple jurisdictions. The last point related to getting the necessary licenses to grow and operate across various jurisdictions is particularly significant. Once a fintech has the right regulatory footing, it becomes a far more attractive target for strategic buyers, whether that is an embedded finance player, a digital bank looking to widen its footprint, or a large financial institution seeking specialised capabilities. Developing strong partnerships with incumbents can also strengthen market positioning and set the stage for a cleaner, more viable exit. At the same time, fintechs need to move with intent and work toward breaking even sooner rather than later, especially as some investors now expect fintechs to reach sustainability within just two funding rounds. This expectation is rising because funding across ASEAN has entered a leaner, more competitive phase. Capital is still flowing, but it is concentrating in segments with clearer business fundamentals, such as payments and insurtech, as reflected in the graphic below. Source: Fintech in ASEAN 2025 report With fewer investors deploying capital and heightened competition from markets such as the Middle East and India, fintechs may now also be assessed on real performance rather than projected growth. This funding reality also means that companies can no longer rely solely on repeated equity raises. Many are rethinking their capital mix, exploring debt, hybrid models, or other funding channels to reduce dilution and strengthen financial resilience. In parallel, valuation discipline has returned. After the liquidity surge of 2020 to 2023, investors now prioritise realistic valuations grounded in cash flow and credible unit economics, a shift that directly affects a fintech’s future exit potential. Regulation remains another critical driver. Securing licences early not only opens doors for expansion but also creates regulatory moats that buyers value highly. In a market where exits typically take eight to ten years, these early decisions significantly influence long-term outcomes. For aspiring fintech leaders, this means staying resilient, protecting growth margins, and managing burn with intention; not out of pressure, but to build a business model that can withstand cycles without relying solely on continuous capital injections. Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore based on image by freepik on Freepik The post What a Decade of Exit Trends Reveals About Building a Resilient ASEAN Fintech appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Indian B2B Software as a Service (SaaS) firm Perfios has expanded its Nexus 360 credit decisioning platform across South East Asia. The company announced new deployments and partnerships with banking, financial services and non-bank lenders in Malaysia and the Philippines at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025 as it moves from point tools to broader integrated solutions for the region. Nexus 360 is an end-to-end platform for document ingestion, classification, analysis and processing. Perfios said the system can cut due diligence to just 15 minutes and enable straight through processing for eligible applications. In Malaysia, Perfios is enabling faster credit decisions for retail and micro-SME borrowers through digitised onboarding, financial document validation and real-time credit insights. The deployment supports more than RM 500 million in safe financing and automates income assessment, risk checks and fraud controls, with SME expansion planned. Perfios is also supporting digital transformation across several institutions. These projects have delivered more than 50 percent automation in credit assessment workflows, enabling straight through processing and strengthening fraud-risk controls. They are designed to scale across SME, commercial and wholesale lending. The Nexus stack spans Connectivity, Intelligence, Trust and Collections. It aggregates consented data from open finance rails, KYC providers, credit bureaus and other sources, and uses AI and Gen AI models to generate Credit Assessment Memos. It applies fraud, AML and tamper detection controls, with collections supported by machine learning and agentic AI. Sabyasachi Goswami “As digital payments scale, so do fraud and financial-crime pressures, which is why institutions need unified, AI-led decisioning and trust infrastructure that can operate at regulatory scale. Lenders are standardising on Nexus to move from document collection to final decision in minutes, not days. By embedding lender-specific credit policies, automating income and risk assessment, and surfacing real-time strength-and-risk signals, Nexus enables Straight-Through Processing for eligible segments and strengthens first-line risk controls at scale,” said Sabyasachi Goswami, Global CEO, Perfios.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Freepik The post Perfios Deploys Nexus 360 Platform That Enables 15-Minute Credit Decisions appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Tanami, a Bahrain-based private markets investment platform, has introduced SmartMatch, described as the world’s first private markets robo-advisor, at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025. SmartMatch allows investors to build portfolios across private equity, private credit, real estate, and infrastructure, tailored to their objectives, investment horizon, and risk profile. The platform uses proprietary algorithms to create personalised private market portfolios managed by established institutions, targeting investors who have traditionally had limited access to these markets. Faisal Aljalahma “We believe private markets should be an integral part of every investment portfolio,” said Faisal Aljalahma, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tanami. “SmartMatch empowers every investor to subscribe to portfolios uniquely aligned with their personal ambitions without the complexity that has once kept them out of reach.” Tanami works with global asset managers to provide curated access to private market opportunities. Investors have no minimums, quarterly liquidity, and the option of conventional or Shariah-compliant structures, combining accessibility and transparency in a single platform.     Featured image credit: Tanami The post Tanami Launches SmartMatch, a Private Markets Robo-Advisor appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Liquid Group and TerraPay have begun exploring a shared framework that could enable QR payments to flow between their global networks, including key corridors in Africa and Asia. The companies signed an MoU at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025 to examine how Liquid Group’s RoamQR network can connect with TerraPay’s global payment infrastructure. The agreement will explore whether real-time QR acceptance and settlement can be supported across borders in a unified, open and inclusive way. RoamQR is an industry-led QR interoperability network developed under MAS’s SGQR Plus initiative. It was designed to simplify and scale QR acceptance by connecting local and international wallets, mobile apps, acquirers and national QR schemes through a single interoperable platform. Liquid Group is now working with partners to roll it out progressively across Asia Pacific and other regions. TerraPay’s infrastructure enables secure and compliant transactions across more than 100 markets, connecting financial institutions, wallets and acquirers worldwide. The collaboration will assess whether a technical bridge between the two systems can support seamless QR payments for consumers and merchants across Africa, Asia and other connected regions. Jeremy Tan “This MoU with TerraPay marks an important step in our efforts to expand RoamQR’s global interoperability. By connecting with TerraPay’s global network, we aim to enable seamless, standards-based QR payments that empower wallet users and merchants across Africa, Asia, and beyond. This collaboration reflects our shared vision of building an open, inclusive, and scalable cross-border payment infrastructure.” said Jeremy Tan, Chief Executive Officer, Liquid Group. Ambar Sur “We are delighted to join forces with Liquid Group to enhance interoperability between our ecosystems. As we continue expanding TerraPay’s global network, this partnership brings us closer to creating a world where payments can move securely and instantly across markets — fostering financial inclusion and enabling trade between emerging and developed economies alike.” said Ambar Sur, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, TerraPay.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by smartmalik6384 via Freepik The post Liquid Group, TerraPay Explore Cross-Border QR Interoperability Across Africa and Asia appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

The Bank of England, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Bank of Thailand have announced a collaboration to explore the technical and policy implications of settling foreign exchange (FX) transactions using synchronised settlement mechanisms. Building on insights from Project Meridian FX, the collaboration will test synchronised FX settlement across a range of technical and institutional environments. Initial experiments will use simulated versions of participating central banks’ Real Time Gross Settlement systems and Distributed Ledger Technology-based settlement environments to examine interoperability between the central banks’ systems and complex, multilateral scenarios involving different settlement infrastructures. The experiments aim to enable atomic, real-time FX transactions that are secure and interoperable across diverse systems. The collaboration will explore synchronisation’s potential to support Payment versus Payment (PvP) FX settlement across jurisdictions with varying infrastructures, time zones, and regulatory frameworks. Tom Mutton, Director of Fintech at the Bank of England, said, Tom Mutton “This project explores, in more realistic conditions, how synchronisation solutions might support an open and effective global financial system by providing a new, innovative FX settlement channel. This, together with our RT2 Synchronisation Lab, forms part of our wider roadmap to support innovation and new functionality in money and payments.” Kenneth Gay, Chief Fintech Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, said, Kenneth Gay “To realise the potential of tokenised financial systems, international cooperation is needed to foster the development of open and interoperable networks. We look forward to exploring how synchronised settlement can enhance interoperability across different jurisdictions and infrastructures through this collaboration.” Thammarak Moenjak, Senior Director, Digital Currency Policy and Development Unit at the Bank of Thailand said, Thammarak Moenjak “This joint initiative, linking different settlement infrastructures through an interoperable and synchronized mechanism, will potentially enhance the efficiency of conducting FX Payment versus Payment (FX PvP) transactions and support cross-border Delivery versus Payment (DvP) use cases.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Who is Danny via Freepik The post UK, Singapore and Thailand Central Banks Collaborate on FX Settlement appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Singapore and Germany have agreed to work on tokenised cross-border settlement under a new MoU between the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Deutsche Bundesbank. The cooperation aims to improve international financial transactions, including flows between both countries. The agreement covers joint development of settlement solutions that can reduce the cost and processing time of cross-border transfers. The two central banks will also promote common standards for payments, foreign exchange and securities flows involving tokenised assets to support interoperability across digital asset platforms. The partnership builds on MAS’ Project Guardian, launched in 2022 to explore how asset tokenisation can enhance liquidity and market efficiency. The Bundesbank joined the Guardian Policymaker Group in November 2024. Both regulators said the collaboration augments the strong financial cooperation between Singapore and Germany. Leong Sing Chiong Leong Sing Chiong, MAS Deputy Managing Director (Markets and Development), said, “Through this new partnership with the Deutsche Bundesbank on digital asset settlement, we hope to enhance financial connectivity in ways that benefit individuals, corporates and financial market participants in both our economies. This also lays the groundwork for future digital financial infrastructure.” Burkhard Balz Burkhard Balz, Bundesbank Executive Board Member, added, “The partnership with MAS reflects our shared commitment to advancing new financial infrastructures. Together, we aim to foster technological innovation and set new standards for efficiency and interoperability in international payments and securities transactions.”   The post Singapore and Germany Regulators to Work on Tokenised Cross-Border Settlement appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

ASEAN fintech funding dropped 36 percent to around US$835 million in the first nine months of 2025, but Singapore continued to draw the lion’s share of capital and strengthened its role as the region’s hub. Funding drops to nine-year low as investors turn cautious The Fintech in ASEAN 2025: Navigating the New Realities report, released by UOB, PwC Singapore and the Singapore Fintech Association, shows that the region recorded its lowest funding level since 2016 and the fewest deals in a decade. Investors remained cautious amid market volatility and shifted their focus toward companies that could demonstrate clearer progress on profitability and scale. Deal activity fell sharply across the six largest ASEAN economies, with only 53 transactions in the first nine months of 2025. Despite the slowdown, the average deal size increased 42 percent to US$21.4 million as capital concentrated around firms with stronger fundamentals. Late-stage companies captured 67 percent of total funding, a 24 percentage point increase from last year, supported by three mega deals amounting to nearly US$450 million. Average late-stage deal values rose to about US$112 million, reflecting continued investor confidence in firms with established revenue models. Singapore widens its lead while regional markets face pressure Singapore remained the region’s strongest performer. It attracted more than US$725 million, or 87 percent of ASEAN’s total funding, up from 57 percent last year. The country also accounted for more than half of all deals, driven largely by activity in blockchain for financial services and investment technology. Pre-series and early-stage rounds made up most of Singapore’s deal count, indicating ongoing opportunities for emerging players. Eight of ASEAN’s ten most-funded fintechs this year are based in Singapore, including five late-stage firms. Conditions were tougher elsewhere. Indonesia’s share of funding fell from 20 percent to four percent, and its deal count dropped from 23 to 10. The Philippines matched Indonesia with five deals, including an early-stage round for lending platform Salmon, which secured ASEAN’s sixth most funded deal. Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam together accounted for less than 10 percent of regional funding and saw a noticeable decline in activity. The report notes that ASEAN’s fintech sector is shifting toward more disciplined growth, with realistic valuations, tighter cost management and a stronger emphasis on long-term sustainability. Despite the downturn, the region continues to test fintechs on their ability to sustain innovation in a volatile and uncertain environment. Cross-border collaboration and regulatory alignment remain important to supporting long-term competitiveness. Janet Young Janet Young, Managing Director and Group Head, Channels & Digitalisation and Strategic Communications & Brand, UOB, said, “As ASEAN’s fintech sector recalibrates, innovators continue to show remarkable resilience. The rise in average deal size and strong performance of late-stage companies underscore investor confidence in the region’s long-term potential as a thriving digital economy. We believe that innovation is the key to driving sustainable growth and financial inclusion. Guided by our commitment to building the future of ASEAN, we will continue to foster collaboration, support the catalysing of new solutions and empower businesses to seize the opportunities in the digital future.” Holly Fang Holly Fang, President, Singapore Fintech Association, said, “Singapore’s position as the region’s leading fintech hub reflects the strength of its collaborative ecosystem, where regulators, financial institutions, and innovators work together to drive meaningful change and sustainable growth. The sector’s focus on sustainable growth and profitability marks an important step in the maturation of the fintech ecosystem, where firms are being tested on their ability to sustain innovation amid an increasingly volatile and uncertain environment.” The Fintech in ASEAN 2025: Navigating the New Realities report was launched at the Singapore Fintech Festival.     The post Singapore Bags 87% of ASEAN Fintech Funding as Regional Total Slips to US$835M appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

The future of finance is unfolding in powerful waves, shaped by the convergence of technology, talent, and imagination. AI and other technologies drive decisions at scale, digital ecosystems blur the lines between industries, and innovation increasingly moves without borders. Yet for all this acceleration, one reality endures: human capability is what turns technology into real impact. Nowhere is this more evident than in Singapore, where talent has long been treated as strategic infrastructure. The nation’s skill-first mindset recognises that human capital fuels everything else: innovation, competitiveness, and the ability to build world-class fintech products that scale. The latest SFA Fintech Talent Report captures this reality with clarity and depth. Drawing from a wide base of real-world perspectives, founders, hiring managers, educators, and job seekers, it distils today’s talent landscape into sharp insights and forward-looking strategies. The report reflects what’s actually happening on the ground: how companies are hiring, how candidates are moving, and how roles are evolving in a digital-first economy. Some findings are surprising, others deeply validating. For instance, 92% of employers say communication and teamwork matter more than certifications (a mere 8%), underscoring a shift toward adaptable, people-centred talent in a sector often stereotyped as purely technical. And that’s just the beginning. What else is reshaping the fintech talent equation in Singapore, and what does it say about where the industry is heading next? What’s the State of Fintech Talent Like in Singapore? Singapore stands among the world’s 12 global tech powerhouses, an achievement that surprises no one familiar with its ecosystem. The country’s mature digital infrastructure, deep talent pool, and pro-innovation policies have created an environment where ambitious companies can scale with confidence. Despite its compact footprint, Singapore competes head-to-head with giants like China and India, and is now actively shaping its future as an AI powerhouse by accelerating talent development and expanding global partnerships. The goal is clear: to anchor itself firmly in the next era of intelligent innovation. Tawishi Singh, Vice-President of the Singapore Fintech Association, shared, Tawishi Singh “Singapore has long been a global hub for fintech, with talent at the heart of its success. Future-proofing the sector means equipping employees with both hard and soft skills to thrive alongside evolving technologies such as AI.” Source: SFA Fintech Talent Report 2025 This strength is reflected in how fintech teams are built today. While Singapore remains the primary hub, many organisations now operate with talent distributed across the wider APAC region, a sign of increasingly hybrid, regionally integrated workforce models. The survey also reveals what will drive fintech hiring in the year ahead. Business growth priorities, cost optimisation, and shifting geopolitical or macroeconomic conditions top the list. Almost 70% of companies cite budget constraints as a key hurdle. Yet, a significant 62% still plan to increase headcount to support expansion, underscoring both cautious spending and sustained confidence in the sector’s potential. Tech Companies Now Hire With a Strategic, Targeted Approach The biggest question in talent management has always been this: where do you find, retain, and upskill talent to match the industry? The current favoured approach is to be both strategic and precise. While 54% of surveyed companies are still hiring significantly, fintechs are now also going beyond tech, and increasingly seeking out product managers, partnership leads, and senior regulatory experts. Source: SFA Fintech Talent Report 2025 Still, the most in-demand roles remain anchored in software engineering, data science, cybersecurity, product management, and compliance. Flexible models are also rising. Companies are turning to contract specialists and project-based hires to stay agile while managing costs. On the other side of the equation, candidates are selective. Job seekers prioritise career growth, exposure to advanced technologies, and hybrid work arrangements. With 91% of fintech applicants in Singapore holding a bachelor’s or master’s degree, strong academic credentials clearly give candidates a solid advantage when entering this fast-moving industry. The Three Talent Pressures Reshaping The Fintech Workforce Singapore’s fintech employers are navigating three pressing talent challenges. First, the 2025 SFA survey highlights a growing difficulty in filling senior and C-suite roles. These positions are the hardest to close because top talent is often pulled toward markets like India, the United States, and China, where compensation packages can run up to 30% higher. This creates a smaller local talent pool and intensifies competition for experienced leaders. Second, AI job demand surged by up to 40% in 2025, with specialist roles commanding salaries of up to S$200k annually. But automation brings a parallel challenge: while it increases efficiency, it also creates new demand for AI governance, ethics, and risk experts. Companies now need to balance technological advancement with strong human oversight. Third, the skills gap remains a structural issue. While 41% of fintech roles require technical skills, 36% demand non-tech functional expertise, according to MyCareersFuture. Yet many candidates lack regulatory and compliance knowledge, pushing firms to invest heavily in upskilling. Specialists in AI, cloud, and compliance now command salary premiums of 20% to 35%, adding pressure to hiring budgets. In response, companies are prioritising senior hires and shifting toward split workforce models, anchoring leadership teams in Singapore while offshoring engineering talent to Vietnam, Malaysia, and India. Source: SFA Fintech Talent Report 2025 But to truly win the talent war, employers will need to rethink compensation, strengthen retention strategies, and build clear career pathways that keep leadership rooted in Singapore while tapping wider regional talent pools for scale. The Expectation Gap Between Employers and Employees Despite the survey showing that 84% of hiring needs are in commercial, technical, and product roles, active applicants only meet 47% of market demand, with the largest gaps appearing in commercial and tech functions. What’s even more striking is the mismatch in priorities. Industry professionals place heavy emphasis on technical skills such as AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity for the year ahead. Hiring managers, however, see things differently: 92% prioritise soft skills, and 85% highlight adaptability and learning agility. Source: SFA Fintech Talent Report 2025 The takeaway is clear: technical expertise may get you noticed, but soft skills determine how far you go. A widening disconnect is also emerging between what talent wants and what employers can realistically offer. 67% of professionals cite salary as the top reason for switching jobs, just behind career progression. Yet on the employer side, 70% say budget constraints will shape hiring strategies in the coming year, and only 11% consider offering competitive pay a priority. Talent, meanwhile, is taking ownership of their development. Professionals are actively upskilling or reskilling through online courses, mentorship programmes, and in-person workshops, signalling a workforce that is hungry to stay relevant. Source: SFA Fintech Talent Report 2025 At the same time, expectations around work have shifted. 62% rank remote or hybrid flexibility and work-life balance as top pull factors, and 60% of hybrid workers would consider leaving if office time increases. Together, these trends show that while candidates are willing to invest in themselves, they expect employers to meet them halfway with modern, flexible work environments. The Real Differentiator? Alignment Between Employers and Talent The SFA Fintech Talent Report makes one thing unmistakably clear: technological progress may set the pace, but it is human capability that determines how far the sector can go. And today, that capability is shaped by shifting expectations on both sides of the talent equation. Employers must evolve. Companies will need to refine how they assess potential, rethink pay structures, and build environments that reward adaptability, learning agility, and cross-functional collaboration. Budget pressures may be real, but talent will gravitate toward workplaces that offer meaningful growth, clarity of progression, and leaders who are both tech-fluent and mentorship-driven. Retention now matters as much as recruitment. Talent, too, must adapt. Professionals who thrive will be those who continuously learn, invest in their craft, and build authentic, intentional career narratives. Upskilling, reskilling, and contributing to projects; these are the new signals of readiness in a competitive and increasingly globalised fintech marketplace. Jon Goldstein Jon Goldstein, Managing Partner, Page Executive Southeast Asia and India, added, “The next wave of success will belong to those who combine digital innovation with human insight, creating ecosystems that are not only efficient but trusted.” Ultimately, the future of fintech talent in Singapore will hinge on alignment: between what companies need and what professionals aspire to; between technological progress and human judgment; between the ambition to scale and the ability to build sustainable, skilled teams. Singapore’s strength has always been its people, and as fintech moves into its next era, that truth only becomes more important. Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by sumarnimurni on Freepik The post In Singapore’s Dynamic Talent Landscape, What Do Fintech Employers and Talent Want? appeared first on Fintech Singapore.